The present invention relates to electrical resistance heaters and assemblies and more particularly relates to a mounting system used to mount electrical heating elements.
Electric resistance heating assemblies of the type having a resistance element connected to a source of electrical power and mounted on a suitable support structure are used in various applications. For example, such assemblies may be used to independently provide heat for a space or room. Alternatively, such assemblies may be incorporated into a larger piece of equipment, such as an air conditioning unit, to provide warm air when required.
Electric resistance heating assemblies are well known in the art. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,441, which is owned by a common assignee of the present invention and which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes electrical insulators used in electrical resistance heating assemblies. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,602, which is owned by a common assignee and which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes an electric heater assembly fixture and a method of use for the same. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,409, which is also owned by the common assignee and which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference, describes a method of manufacturing a support structure for an electric heating assembly that includes a plurality of heating elements.
Systems that are used to support the heating coil elements of the electrical resistance heating assemblies are also well know in the art. Typically, the systems that are utilized to support the electric resistance heating assemblies comprise a metal rack that includes a series of support rods or bars. In order to support the heating elements, the frame of the heating element is placed in contact with the support bar and a plurality of rivets are used to fix each individual heating element to the support structure.
The systems and brackets heretofore known for supporting electric resistance heating assemblies, while structurally sound and efficient, nevertheless are difficult and time-consuming to manufacture. The difficulty and time-consumption translate to a labor-intensive manufacturing process. Of course, the labor intensive nature of the manufacturing process translates to high costs of manufacture.
In addition, the traditional methods of supporting electric resistance heating assemblies present difficulties in those instances when repair of the assemblies is necessary. Most notably, the metal racks of the prior art comprise a plurality of support bars riveted to a plurality of heating coil elements. In the event that repair can be accomplished by the replacement of a single heating coil, the prior art methods require the removal of the rivets from one section of the metal rack, thereby making the repair process long and difficult.